Happy 18 months, Brothers!

These boys have grown up so much in the past few months. They are talking more and more, they are verrrrrrrry opinionated, they have definite personalities, and the toddler meltdowns are in full swing. I'm not going to lie, 18 months is adorable but it is also HARD. I pray every morning for patience, wisdom and perspective, but just about every day all of those qualities are tested before 9 a.m.  Why, you ask? Behold, a meltdown in progress:

But let's focus on the awesome -- the talking! They now say around 20 words: mama, dada, no-no, bye-bye, uh-oh, baby, night-night, dog, ball, block, banana, hey, tickle, oh (used in surprise), Big (Randy's name), Bubba (I think this means Brother), turtle, whoa, fish (Reid--sounds like "pissssh"), duck, and Elmo/Momo. They're doing a lot of babbling, and you can tell they totally know what they're saying, because they'll say the exact same phrase over and over again, with faces full of expression. They can also tell you what a cow, cat and monkey say, and they know where their noses, ears, eyes, hair, tongues, and belly buttons are.

They are BUSY. They really never sit still. I mean, never. They're into fake laughing and fake smiling (and fake coughing, fake sneezing, and fake nose-blowing), and it's hilarious. They wink (really a prolonged blink), give high-fives, and hold their hand to their ear like a phone when we say "Can you say 'Honey'?" 

They're starting to really play together, and when they get along, it's the cutest, sweetest thing ever. They play a version of hide-and-seek, they like to stroke each other's hair, and during mealtime they do whatever they can to crack each other up, which usually involves throwing food, spitting it out, or dumping milk onto their trays and playing in it. Speaking of mealtime, we've also officially transitioned out of high chairs and into booster seats. 

They love doing the hand motions to "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider" and "If You're Happy and You Know It." Their favorite book is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" They won't sit still long enough to really watch TV, but they seem to like Barney, Sesame Street, Thomas the Train, and Super Why, because they linger the longest for those.

In other growing up news, we also turned their carseats around about a week ago, and now they're officially forward-facing! They don't really seem to notice a difference, except on Friday they got to watch a movie in Honey's car on the way to the Children's Museum for my birthday so that was kind of a big deal. I didn't take my camera to the museum, but my mom got a couple of shots with her phone:

  
Now onto the point of this post: 18-month photos and stats! No one was especially excited about getting their picture taken yesterday. We tried first at our house, which resulted in the first photo above. Then we tried again at Honey's house yesterday afternoon, and had moderately more success. But it didn't start off that way:

Things got a little better, but not much:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reid

At his 18-month checkup, Reid was 35 inches tall (99th percentile) and weighed 29 lbs 9.5 ozs (96th percentile). His head measured 20" (99th percentile). 

 

 

 

We're not above bribery...

 

 

Grant


At his 18-month checkup, Grant was 35 1/2 inches tall (99th percentile) and weighed 29 lbs 5.5 ozs (95th percentile). His head measured 19 1/2" (94th percentile). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dealing with the meltdown with a little distraction...

 

I can't believe it's been 18 months, and I can't believe how much these babies have turned into sweet, hilarious, naughty, precious little boys. Your mama loves you, Brothers!

Happy 15 months, Brothers!

So, we're over 3 weeks late with the 15-month post and photos. My bad. I had the best intentions, but first it was Easter, then work was crazy, and then Reid ran a high fever for seven. days. straight. No kidding, it was the sickest that baby has ever been. He wouldn't eat, wouldn't play, wouldn't do anything except sit in our laps and whimper and cry. And suck his sweet little thumb.

Ryan, Honey and I each took time off to stay home with him, and we made two trips to the pediatrician in there, too. And of course, their diagnosis was... wait for it... a virus -- the most frustrating diagnosis known to man because it means there's nothing you can do except wait it out. Thankfully, as of yesterday, he seems to be on the mend. Now we're praying Grant stays well, too.

Anyway, that's not the point of this post; it's just one of my many excuses for being so late with the 15-month goods. So, without further ado...

Here are the stats from their 15-month checkups a couple of weeks ago:  

Reid

Height: 34 3/4 inches (99th percentile)

Weight: 28 lbs 13.5 ozs (98th percentile)

Head: 19 3/4 inches (99th percentile)

Grant

Height: 34 inches (98th percentile)

Weight: 28 lbs 5.5 ozs (97th percentile)

Head: 19 1/2 inches (98th percentile)

They're nothing if not consistent!

And here are the 15(almost 16!)-month-old stinkers. Big Brother Reid:

And just to make sure you know we're not all sunshine and roses over here, this is what 15 months has looked like a lot of the time.

In other words: fierce! Reid's the one who was caught on camera this time, but he's definitely not the only one who has perfected the art of throwing fits. 

Here's his oh-so-angelic (ahem) brother, Grant:

And the two-est* brothers (*a word I made up to mean two cutest, two funniest, two sweetest, two baddest, two craziest, two wildest... you get the picture):

 

These stinkin' boys learn something new every day, it seems. At 15 months:

• They can both tell you what a monkey says ("oooh ooooh ooooh").
• Grant can tell you what a cow says ("brrrrrrrrrrr" -- you're going to have to trust me on this one).
• They LOVE books. They'll walk up to me with a book and back themselves into my lap, and at least every couple of days I'll catch them sitting behind the chair "reading": turning the pages of a book and babbling to themselves.
• They are obsessed with being outside. Seriously obsessed. It's going to be a problem come August. Or May, who am I kidding. 
• Their favorite thing to do, without a doubt, is ride in their cozy coupe car and truck.
• They are starting to throw fits when we tell them no or take something away from them. Lord, help us! 
• They are figuring out the proper uses for things. They hold my phone up to their ear; they pick up a brush and run it over their hair; they point the remote control at the TV; they swing their golf clubs at balls; they try to reach doorknobs with keys in their hands; and more.
• They squat. I've never seen anything cuter. 
• They have started pointing at EVERYTHING, pretty much overnight. A point plus "ooooooooo" means "Hey, I want that."
• They've loved Miller for a long time, but they have a sudden interest in Rocco now. They try to sneak up on him (because he takes off if he hears them coming); Grant squats down to get in his face, usually telling him "no-no-no-no"; and Reid always wants to poke at his feet and thinks he's hilarious.
• They are learning how to share. Ok, that's a total lie, but a mom can dream!

Happy 15 months, sweet brothers! You make life crazy fun (and just plain crazy), and we couldn't love you more!